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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 29th Aug 2016 at 5:33 PM
Default Time for a new PC. Opinion on these specs please.
I have the Sims 2 Base Game with all the EP's, all the SP's and the Christmas Happy Holiday pack plus lots of downloads.
I would like to be able play the game in ultra res and be able to use some of the high poly downloads that are available (cars, plants and trees etc) and have a high Windows Experience Index figure too.
After reading lots of information gathered here, I think I have managed to narrow down a couple of options that might be suitable and I would like your opinions on the ones I have listed below, if at all possible please.
I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers.

Bought ready: (This one doesn't mention the motherboard specs unfortunately.)
LENOVO IdeaCentre Y700 Gaming PC
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
Chipset: Intel® Core™ i5-6500 Processor Quad-core 3.2 GHz / 3.6 GHz (Turbo Boost) 6 MB cache
Memory (RAM): 8 GB DDR4 (32 GB maximum installable RAM)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4 GB GDDR5)
Hard Drive: 2 TB, 7200 rpm
Wireless: 802.11 ac
USB 3.0 x 8
USB 2.0 x 6
Video interface: HDMI x 1 / DVI x 1 / VGA x 1
Optical disc drive: DVD/RW
Expansion card slots: PCIe (x1) x 5 / PCIe (x16) x 1 / PCIe Mini x 1
PSU: 450w

OR

Build Model: Specs from Scan UK:
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Black Mid Tower ATX/mATX/mini-ITX Computer Chassis with USB 3.0 + Ultra Silent Design
Motherboard: H170 Pro Gaming
Chipset : Intel Core i5 6600, S 1151, Skylake, Quad Core, 3.3Ghz, (3.9Ghz Turbo Boost), 6Mb Cache, 1150Mhz GPU, 33x Ratio, 65W, CPU Retail
Graphics card: 4Gb EVGA Geforce GTX 970 SC Gaming ACX 2.0, PCIe 3.0, 7010Mhz GDDR5, GPU 1165Mhz, Boost 1317Mhz, Cores 1664, DP/HDMI/DVI
RAM: 8GB Corsair Module DDR4 3000Mhz C15 Veng LPX Black
PSU: RMX650 650W 80 Plus Fold Fully Modular PSU
HD: 1TB Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX SATA 111 6GB/s 7200rpm, 64mb Cache, 8ms OEM HDD
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224Gb DVD Rewriter x24 DVD+RW, CD/DVD Read/writer, 5.25", SATA, Black, OEM
Wireless Adaptor: Asus PCE-AC68 Dual band Wireless AC1900 PCI-E Adaptor with 3 antennas
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Scholar
#2 Old 29th Aug 2016 at 7:55 PM
Are you only going to play the sims 2? or are you going to play anything else? Does The Sims 2 even run on Windows 10? How much are those two?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 30th Aug 2016 at 5:57 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
Are you only going to play the sims 2? or are you going to play anything else? Does The Sims 2 even run on Windows 10? How much are those two?


Hiya, thank you for responding so quickly.
Yes I was only going to play Sims 2 (all cd/dvds). I haven't really found any other games that I am really that interested in although I would like to keep my options open on that.
I had thought Sims 2 did run on Windows 10, but that it would have to be using compatibility mode, run as administrator and extra tweaks to the graphics rules, the video card and a texture fix if required. If it doesn't run on Windows 10 though, it wouldn't be such a problem to stick with Windows 7 if I can get it as I prefer it over Windows 10.
The PCs are both on the expensive side. The Lenovo one is £1049.00 with VAT. The Scan one is £1121.12 with VAT, that includes OS recovery media, 3 year warranty, 5 day build and a wireless adaptor. I had thought about attempting to build my own PC but lack the confidence in being able to.
Scholar
#4 Old 30th Aug 2016 at 6:48 PM Last edited by ajaxsirius : 30th Aug 2016 at 7:14 PM.
If you're only going to be playing The Sims 2 then you don't need anything that expensive. If you're looking for something pre-built take a look at this: http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Prima...PC-196p2453.htm. 470 GBP tax included. EDIT: Woops, didn't see that it didn't come with a disk drive. EDIT2: Actually the cheapest option is to get the computer I linked to and then buying an external disc drive. If you upgrade the case to something bigger that can accomodate an internal drive, then buy a drive to add in it ends up being more expensive. EDIT3: This one looks similar, and comes with a drive. It's not as compact, not as pretty, but price is the same and comes with a DVD drive. https://www.scan.co.uk/products/sca...-hdd-dvd-win-10

Obviously I would recommend assembling one's own, but if someone couldn't and only wanted to play The Sims 2 then that's what I'd recommend. If you want to play something more demanding then you'd probably best get something beefier.

I've never bought from the particular company since I don't live in the UK, but I've heard good reviews.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#5 Old 2nd Sep 2016 at 3:37 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
If you're only going to be playing The Sims 2 then you don't need anything that expensive. If you're looking for something pre-built take a look at this: http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Prima...PC-196p2453.htm. 470 GBP tax included. EDIT: Woops, didn't see that it didn't come with a disk drive. EDIT2: Actually the cheapest option is to get the computer I linked to and then buying an external disc drive. If you upgrade the case to something bigger that can accomodate an internal drive, then buy a drive to add in it ends up being more expensive. EDIT3: This one looks similar, and comes with a drive. It's not as compact, not as pretty, but price is the same and comes with a DVD drive. https://www.scan.co.uk/products/sca...-hdd-dvd-win-10

Obviously I would recommend assembling one's own, but if someone couldn't and only wanted to play The Sims 2 then that's what I'd recommend. If you want to play something more demanding then you'd probably best get something beefier.

I've never bought from the particular company since I don't live in the UK, but I've heard good reviews.



Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I've not been well.

Thank you for researching the two you have recommended.
I haven't heard of the DinoPC company either but with it being based in London I wouldn't have. Scan was listed as being a good place to buy online for the UK in Callistra's Sticky: Help Upgrading or Building/Buying a New Computer on MTS 17th May 2009.

I recollect reading somewhere that the Intel Pentium processors weren't suitable for playing PC games but so far I haven't been able to find the information again so have no way of checking it.

Are the two I picked out not good specs for playing Sims 2 and any other games I might want to play in the future? (eg maybe Sims 4 or something like Skyrim The Elder Scrolls)
The PC I have now is 6 years old, I ruled out upgrading it. I would hope that a new one would last that long too.

I have started to look at information on how to build my own PC too, then I can make a decision on what to do.
Scholar
#6 Old 2nd Sep 2016 at 5:16 PM
Quote: Originally posted by UserLaura76
Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I've not been well.

Thank you for researching the two you have recommended.
I haven't heard of the DinoPC company either but with it being based in London I wouldn't have. Scan was listed as being a good place to buy online for the UK in Callistra's Sticky: Help Upgrading or Building/Buying a New Computer on MTS 17th May 2009.

I recollect reading somewhere that the Intel Pentium processors weren't suitable for playing PC games but so far I haven't been able to find the information again so have no way of checking it.

Are the two I picked out not good specs for playing Sims 2 and any other games I might want to play in the future? (eg maybe Sims 4 or something like Skyrim The Elder Scrolls)
The PC I have now is 6 years old, I ruled out upgrading it. I would hope that a new one would last that long too.

I have started to look at information on how to build my own PC too, then I can make a decision on what to do.


Sorry to hear you haven't been well. Pentiums used to be not good, but that was like 10 years ago. Back then CPUs were slower and The Sims 3 was newer. Nowadays that pentium I linked to can go toe-to-toe with a Q9550, which is what I had when I played The Sims 3. Therefore I really think it will be fine for The Sims 2 which is less demanding. That's why I really don't think its necessary to be spending so much if you're only going to be playing The Sims 2.

IF you're only going to be playing The Sims 2.

If you're going to be playing The Sims 3, or Skyrim then it's not suitable. Skyrim especially, with mods, can be very demanding and we're no longer looking at the same kind of hardware.

Before I can recommend a PC you should probably settle on what it is you want to play. If you want to play Skyrim then you'll need something more powerful.

It's very hard to get a gaming PC that performs well even 6 years from now since games become more and more and more demanding. It's not that your computer deteriorates, its that the future games ask for more and more.

If you have the budget for it, something like this is reasonable: http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Prima...PC-196p2832.htm

My own computer that I assembled is very similar. CPU is same (except mine is a K version), GPU is a older generation so a bit weaker. Same RAM. I have atleast one SSD and atleast one HDD. I'm probably going to replace the GPU next year if I can get a good deal. So it's like you spend 1000 GBP now, and 250-300 GBP in four years from now and you're mostly assured to have a decent PC during that time. Obviously lots of savings to be had if you assemble yourself.
 
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